" . k ................. "'" :: ::: ...:.. '!fr\ .. _0 " 7,J --::: . :: ::: ::0 : \ :.\\ '- THE \ . · 0 . . THE. TALK OF THE TOWN Notes a71d Comment W E predicted a few weeks ago, when Grand Central got wired for sound, that the idea would spread to other public and quasi-public places, such as hospitals. Last week the Albany Hospital installed sound- to brighten up the atmosphere for patients and visitors. Background music is the feature-semiclassical records on a centrally located machine, or daemon. So far, no commercials. And so far the music is limited to the psychiatric wing. Our next prediction is that sound will escape from this wing and make its vlay into other wings, wards, and corri- dors. We predict the emergence of sound into the delivery room. Song: "Baby, It's Cold Outside." I T is, in truth, cold outside. The in- dividual is becoming the captive of the soundmakers and is losing the right to choose whether he listens or doesn't listen. \Ve don't think Grand Central should produce any sound, any noise, except the noises and sounds incidental to train arrival and departure: the noise of destinations. We don't think a person waiting anxiously in a hospital reception room should be compelled to listen to music somebody thinks might be good for him to hear, or that a passenger on a streetcar should have to listen to advice some merchant is willing to pay to ex- press. Already radio, in a generation that finds it part of nature, tends to fur the edge of many minds (the child doing his homework with the radio on, the housewife doing her chores to the ac- companiment of commercials). Right now radio is at a turning point. It better be a turning-off point, not a turning-on point. One is free choice, the other is the slavery of sound. \Ve strongly advise any person who finds himself exposed to amplified sound in hospitals, terminals, or common carriers to protest to the management or call the police. W E'VE been privileged to read an exchange of teleirams between L. - the Harvard Law School Rt>cord and Dean \Vesley Sturges" of the Yale Law School, anent Harvard Law's recent precedent-shattering decision to adn1it women students. In its telegram, the Record outlined the novel situation and then said, "Will you please comment on this? Reply by wire collect." The Dean replied as follows: YALE LAW FACULTY AND STUDEKT BODY DEEPLY MOVED. FEEL [T QUITE POSSIBLE HARVARD MAY 1AKE COXTRIBUTIO TO WOMANHOOD. DOUBT I\1AXY ADVERSE CON- SEQUENCES HARVARD FACULTY OR STU- DENT BODY-.; WE HAVE AL\VAYS FOLLO"WED WITH GENUINE IXTEREST LO G STRUGGLE HARVARD LIBERALS IN THIS !\lATTER. OUR MAKY GENERATIONS OF WOl\1EN GRADU- ATES ARE OF COURSE A PRIDE AXD JOY. BEST \VISHES. This communication, which we're glad to say was sent prepaid, seems to us notable for a characteristically legal dis- inclination to commit itself as to the vir- tues of a rival, for its implication that Harvard, after goodness knows how many a tumple, has finally reached a perch that New Haven has long been accustomed to, and, above all, for its brilliant failure, while exuding approval, kindliness, and the very best will in the world, to provide anything the H.L.S. Record could possibly quote to ad vantage. It will surely be a long time before Harvard again invites com- ment from Yale on anything. How Dean Sturges must be chuckling Into his briefs and torts! ObtrlJ;sive Venus W E hopped over to the Modern Art Foundry, in Long Island City, early last week to have a look at what is probably the largest work of sculpture ever to be cast in aluminum, anv- where-the composition by \Vheeler \\Tilliams that will adorn the façade of the new Parke-Bernet Galleries 13uilding, on :Madison Avenue. Our in- terest in Mr. \\Tilliams' work, which consists of a floating Venus hovering "-..) '-' solicitously over a rather lethargic youth, was not purely aesthetic; we had learned that it had been causing some trouble in municipal-government circles. It turned out that 1\;lr. \\Til- liams' sculpture would extend over the sidewalk about twice as far as the building code of the city allows. When the architects- \\T alker & Poor-took up the problem with the Board of Stand- ards and Appeals, on behalf of Robert \V. Dowling, president of the corpora- tion that owns the place, the Board hesi- tated to make a ruling, and Mr. Dow- ling went to the Board of Estimate and offered to lease the space the sculpture would displace. The Board asked, and got, fifty dollars a year. It happened" luckily, that at the l110ment of our call Mr. 'Villiams was present, supervising the fastening on of Venus's arms. "We're ready to bolt the whole thing in place," he told us. "It will be covered with cloth until the official unveiling, next week. It's really all my fault that this piece got out of hand. I didn't think about the build- ing-code restriction until I had my first scale model finished. The architects had had a smaller, vertical figure in mind. However, the building is so completely horIzontal-only five stories and occu- pying a whole block front-that I felt they'd want me to relieve the flat, thin